The tenth edition of the IPL is approaching its final stages and it has been a season filled with a few surprises and as always records have continued to tumble throughout the campaign. Some of them not so desirable like RCB registering the lowest ever team total (49) against Kolkata Knight Riders while Sunil Narine equalled the record for the fastest IPL fifty (15 balls).
The final round of matches in the 2017 IPL got underway on Saturday but the top 4 standings are yet to be finalised. Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their spot in the knockout stages of the tournament with a comfortable 8-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions with skipper David Warner leading from the front with an unbeaten knock of 69 from 52 balls.
Along the way, Warner reached 600 runs for the campaign and in the process broke into the top 5 table for most runs as skipper in a single IPL season. With the victory ensuring that Warner gets at least a match more in this season, there is room to make further progress but the same cannot be said of RCB skipper Virat Kohli who has had a disastrous campaign this time around after breaking the record charts last season.
More often than not, a team always performs well if the skipper is on song and a look at the top 5 run-getters in an IPL campaign as skipper reveals that to be the case.
5. David Warner – 604* runs (2017)
Warner has been an inspirational figure at the top for Sunrisers Hyderabad ever since he assumed captaincy of the side and the way he has marshalled his troops has earned applauds all-around. He has been in sublime form over the past two seasons and guided his side to victory in the 2016 campaign.
Though not as spectacular as the previous campaign, Warner has stepped up when it really mattered in 2017 and Saturday’s knock is a point in case. He registered 50+ scores against Kings XI Punjab both home and way but the highlight of the campaign was undoubtedly the spectacular 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad on April 30.
Batting first, Warner got under the skin of the opposition bowlers sparing none as he led his side to 209 in their 20 overs, with his knock featuring 10 boundaries and 8 sixes coming off just 59 balls.
As of now, Warner has scored 604 runs in this campaign at a strike rate of above 140 with a century and four half-centuries. He is just 23 runs shy of reaching the landmark of 4000 runs in the IPL and will be a threat to any opposition that comes his way in the knockout stages.
4. Sachin Tendulkar – 618 runs (2010)
While Sachin Tendulkar played one T20 international in his career, featuring against South Africa in 2006, he was ever-present in the IPL up until the 2013 campaign where he signed off in style after Mumbai Indians secured their first ever IPL title, defeating Chennai Super Kings in the final at Eden Gardens.
On a personal front though, Tendulkar’s finest campaign was the 2010 edition where he emerged as the Player of the Tournament and secured the Orange Cap as the campaign's leading run-scorer with 618 runs. However, as skipper of the side, he tasted disappointment in the final, losing out to CSK by a margin of 22 runs.
Tendulkar turned on the style with his performances throughout the campaign. He scored five half-centuries to lead his side’s charge to the knockout stages with 20 points to top the league standings after the group stages.
Tendulkar scored his runs at an average of above 47 and at a brisk pace as well, as the strike rate of 132.61 suggests.
3. Virat Kohli – 634 runs (2013)
The 2017 campaign might have been a disastrous one for RCB and Kohli himself but if there’s one person who knows how to bounce back, it is the present Indian skipper. Kohli has been with RCB ever since the inception of the IPL in 2008 and has established himself as an icon player despite not having the status of one.
The 2013 edition of the IPL saw the change of guard at RCB with Kohli replacing veteran spinner Daniel Vettori as the skipper of the side. While some players seem to bow down with the burden of responsibility on their shoulders, Kohli has always revelled in such circumstances and the 2013 IPL was no different.
Kohli scored 634 runs from 16 matches at an average of 45.28 scoring his runs at an astounding strike rate of 138.73. He scored six half-centuries along the way while narrowly missing out on his first IPL hundred after being dismissed for 99 against Delhi Daredevils.
2. David Warner – 848 runs (2016)
The 2016 IPL was a battle between two captains – RCB’s Virat Kohli and SRH’s David Warner – who were scoring runs for fun while leading their sides to the summit clash of the tournament. Though Warner missed out on the Orange Cap to his counterpart, it was the Australian who had the last laugh as his side came out on top in a thrilling final.
The year 2016 was a golden year for Warner at the international level as well as he became the first Australian to register six ODI centuries in a calendar year eventually scoring 1232 runs in the year. But it was at the IPL that Warner really stood out.
While the world was well aware of his attacking prowess, it was Warner the skipper who grabbed eyeballs even leading to suggestions that he should replace Steven Smith as skipper of the Australian T20 side.
Warner led from the front scoring 848 runs from 17 matches at an average of 60.57, scoring his runs at a strike rate of above 150. The measure of his consistency can be assessed by the fact that he scored nine 50+ scores.
He impressed in the final as well, scoring 69 off just 38 balls as his side scored 208 runs batting first and eventually went on to win the match and thus the IPL title.
1. Virat Kohli – 973 runs (2016)
The year 2016 saw Virat Kohli establish himself as the best batsman in the world as he smashed records all around the globe with the IPL being the highlight. Heading into the tournament without any IPL century to his name, Kohli eventually ended up scoring four tons as he scored a mammoth 973 runs at a mind-boggling average of above 81.
He scored 83 boundaries and as many as 38 hits over the fence as he blew away the opposition with his scintillating form, helping his side reach the final where they, unfortunately, came up short against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The unbeaten knock of 108 against Rising Pune Supergiant was perhaps his best one as he almost single-handedly helped RCB chase down the target of 192 set by MS Dhoni’s side. He also played well in the final scoring 54 off 35 balls but couldn’t help his side cross the winning line.
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